In most of the games I have played, the aliens seems to split the earth into areas. So that Snakemen keep to one area and Floater to another area. In my last game missions in Europe was always against Sectoids.

well, if you play some modified version of ufo
this could be the answer

anyway, as I mostly play unmodified version of ufo collectors edition
I can confirm this:
In some periods of time, it is a greater chance to find particular type of race often than other ones
sometimes mission type counts too!!!

i.e.
most of the time, I see this order of appearance
sectoids tends to be first race to fight
than floaters -> snakeman -> mutons
and finally ethereals

if you shot down a lot of floater ships
they ( floaters I mean ) could send more ships in retaliation missions
so this could be in your case

if alien race set up colony
than supply ships will be populated by the same race each time
so ... if floaters setup a base .... each time supply ship will appear
you will meet ( meat hehe ) your beloved floaters

It's a random toss between Sectoid and Floater at the very start, then as usual Snakeman, Muton and finally the Ethereals. But with the randomness involved, I once had a campaign where I never got the Mutons until well after the Ethereals.

Also how long have you been seeing the floaters? If it's still early into the game and only a few months have passed, then things are probably normal.

Snakeman bases are good for that too. While their accuracy is the 3rd highest of all the races, and they have more health and armour than floaters, they do have the lowest TUs and most importantly the lowest reactions of the main 5 races. This means they can't move very far and when they do move their ability to use reaction fire just plummets.

And to be honest I don't like attacking the bases because of the Chryssalids.

I must point that ... tactics employed by you, or your style of play
have a very strong impact on which aliens you like, and which you do not
some example here, ironman runs I do more safely, than normal 'save'y' way

I do not dislike cryssalids, like most of other players do ( dont like them either )
its just another alien to be hunted down and killed
I understand of course, why other players dont like 'speedy infestation guys'

returning to floaters
floaters are #3 race of preference on my list,

personally I prefer sectoids for following reasons
- they can give you ALL the techs in the game -> psi, navigator, leader, commander, engineers, medics ... whatever
- so easy to kill, even with the weakest and most basic weapons ( except for cyberdiscs of course )

and now some frustrating ones
- first terror missions is a real challenge, to most of players ( including me )
- cyberdiscs can blow ( my preciousssss ) loot when killed
- lost whole squad and skyranger, on 'sectoids only' mission

I must point that ... tactics employed by you, or your style of playhave a very strong impact on which aliens you like, and which you do notsome example here, ironman runs I do more safely, than normal 'save'y' way

I do not dislike cryssalids, like most of other players do ( dont like them either )its just another alien to be hunted down and killedI understand of course, why other players dont like 'speedy infestation guys'

returning to floatersfloaters are #3 race of preference on my list,

personally I prefer sectoids for following reasons- they can give you ALL the techs in the game -> psi, navigator, leader, commander, engineers, medics ... whatever- so easy to kill, even with the weakest and most basic weapons ( except for cyberdiscs of course )

and now some frustrating ones- first terror missions is a real challenge, to most of players ( including me )- cyberdiscs can blow ( my preciousssss ) loot when killed- lost whole squad and skyranger, on 'sectoids only' mission

to me, floaters are a nice break from 'sectoid scheme'

yarrow

I usually encounter Sectoids. I prefer Floaters. I hate sectoid especially in barn tactical missions because many times they are 4-5 tiles away and I can't see them because they are hiding behind a fence or something annoying like that. I prefer Floaters because they are more easily spotted and bigger targets (and better target practice too as they are not as weak as sectoids).

below I present some tips when fighting in urban areas,
most of them are well known, so dont expect any miracles

I found that kneeling helps a lot
in sitiuations when sectoids 'hide' behind some obstacles like fences

walking onto hills helps;)
the trick is, that you dont have to walk up to the top of the hill
any 'change of elevation' can help, even the smallest one!!

throw some high explosives on houses roofs
in case of sectoids any grenade should do

use more frequently rocket launchers/high explosives to flatten buildings, orchards ... whatever
now sectoids cannot hide anymore ( maybe except of their ufo-ship if it is intact )

you can also burn to ashes
trees, even whole forests/jungles with incendiary ammo

yes some methods are more costly ... but ... one corpse pays back these costs
compare this 1500$ per high explosive grenade / 20K$ per alien corpse
( grenades can blow aliens so corpse is not generated sometimes )

and final note
sectoids can give you psi, floaters cant !!!
the sooner you know which soldier is psi weakling, the better

this knowledge is very important, even if taken from combat experience
I mean before first month of psi training psi-lab

you can also burn to ashestrees, even whole forests/jungles with incendiary ammo

yes some methods are more costly ... but ... one corpse pays back these costscompare this 1500$ per high explosive grenade / 20K$ per alien corpse( grenades can blow aliens so corpse is not generated sometimes )

and final notesectoids can give you psi, floaters cant !!!the sooner you know which soldier is psi weakling, the better

this knowledge is very important, even if taken from combat experienceI mean before first month of psi training psi-lab

yarrow

I actually throw high explosives inside the window on the top floor instead of on the roof.:-)

As for corpses, I play with council funding only mod.:-)

Kneeling haven't really helped me in locating sectoids and is more likely to waste my TUs and potentially trigger reaction fire. I blow obstacles from afar if possible, but mostly so my shots won't hit obstacles instead of the target.

If you step back and think about it, it doesn't really matter whether you like Sectoids, Floaters or Snakemen. They're all "fodder" races compared to Mutons and Ethereals and can be shot down easily with the basic pistol.

If you step back and think about it, it doesn't really matter whether you like Sectoids, Floaters or Snakemen. They're all "fodder" races compared to Mutons and Ethereals and can be shot down easily with the basic pistol.

- NKF

Ahhh..... but when you play with range based accuracy, things tend to change a bit.

Agreed, both range based accuracy mod and council funding self-restriction
makes a big difference to the game
especially range based accuracy, its like lowering your soldiers firing accuracy to 20

throwing through windows does not work too well to me ( it works, just not so well )
its easier to throw to roof, and after roof is blasted, throw inside building
yes, 2 or more grenades are needed, but its better chance to catch alien on the roof first

all of this is from my personal observation of course
and I can say that from buildings, aliens tends often go downstairs
then stay on the floor, except for the roof snipers

flatting buildings/fences, and kneeling tactics works very well to me
maybe its my style to demolish civilian structures

kneeling can provoke rection fire, yes of course
so, I prefer ( and tend to ) throw a lot of standard grenades near the fences and other small obstacles
they are cheap and in endless supply to XCom

heavy stuff: like high explosives and rockets
I leave for 'my little terraforming'

and finally
NKF made his point, aliens are fodder to be mopped up
some are just harder to wipe out, some you like and some you like less

after all, its YOU, that must have fun from the game in the first place
I do

in my case, its those sectoids in the very begining of the game, that makes the fun to me
lets say first/second month, when the aliens have that big strategic and especially tactical advantage over XCom
after sitiuation balances, I found its like just mopping up over alien corpses

Yes, throwing high explosive through a window can be tricky. I always leave some soldiers with TUs to pick it up if it didn't go in. As for throwing grenades on the roof the first turn, I used to do it. However, if there are floaters there, you risk them coming out and shooting during their turn.

It requires a bit of practice, but is otherwise not hard. Get your angle right or make your own holes. It's quite easy to level the entire upper level of a barn and the roof with a single high explosive

Ahhh..... but when you play with range based accuracy, things tend to change a bit.

Point blank shots then.

I wasn't implying the pistol specifically - just that these aliens are of the fragile variety that will fall easily to anything.

It requires a bit of practice, but is otherwise not hard. Get your angle right or make your own holes. It's quite easy to level the entire upper level of a barn and the roof with a single high explosive

Ahhh..... but when you play with range based accuracy, things tend to change a bit.

Point blank shots then.

I wasn't implying the pistol specifically - just that these aliens are of the fragile variety that will fall easily to anything.

- NKF

I'm already master of flattening barn floors.:-)

It is just that sometimes, even at the right angle, high explosives hit the wall and fall down.

As for pistols, I actually have to thank you about them. I used to use sniper rifles only. In one of your threads, you referred to pistols so I started experimenting with them and use them ever since. The reason being that unlike sniper rifles, you can move your soldier quite a bit and still get 1-2 aimed shots unlike a sniper rifle.

Though when going in close quarters, I arm my soldiers with an automatic weapon. I also arm the first four soldiers on the Skyranger with sniper rifles, just in case I meet lots of hostiles in close range as I step out the door.

if I throw high explosive on the roof
there is no such thingie as: 'risk them coming out and shooting during their turn'
cause after my turn ends, your floater sniper on the roof is dead, plain and simple

thats one of reasons why I like throwing high explosives on the roof
standard grenade can blow roof too, but not the floater sniper
even sectoids can survive if not thrown in correct place
but high explosive has power to do both things at the same time
I mean, kill the alien sniper and destroy the roof

you underestimate the power of the dark side ... on the roof

after all, only ONE!! alien is resistant high enough to high explosive grenades: Sectopod
All others ... even those pesky cyberdiscs!!, can be blown with just one humble high explosive grenade
even 'Pod of Sectoids' is quite badly damaged, after explosion
and yes ... I NEVER saw him on the roof ROFL

in terror there is no discussion, sonic pulsers 'rule the battlescape', but in XCom 1 ?

I was wondering about oldfan following sentence
'It is just that sometimes, even at the right angle, high explosives hit the wall and fall down.'

hmm, that is interesting
I never observed this, grenade explosions are contrained to one level
my guess is: some error in collision detection that is being used, like in ufo diagonal walls

but it stays as item on the level down ... hmm? ... after explosion?
that is really interesting, or I ... 'didnt hit the alien' ? ... again

It requires a bit of practice, but is otherwise not hard. Get your angle right or make your own holes. It's quite easy to level the entire upper level of a barn and the roof with a single high explosive

Ahhh..... but when you play with range based accuracy, things tend to change a bit.

Point blank shots then.

I wasn't implying the pistol specifically - just that these aliens are of the fragile variety that will fall easily to anything.

- NKF

I'm already master of flattening barn floors.:-)

It is just that sometimes, even at the right angle, high explosives hit the wall and fall down.

As for pistols, I actually have to thank you about them. I used to use sniper rifles only. In one of your threads, you referred to pistols so I started experimenting with them and use them ever since. The reason being that unlike sniper rifles, you can move your soldier quite a bit and still get 1-2 aimed shots unlike a sniper rifle.

Though when going in close quarters, I arm my soldiers with an automatic weapon. I also arm the first four soldiers on the Skyranger with sniper rifles, just in case I meet lots of hostiles in close range as I step out the door.

I never throw explosive on the roof, I usually spot the snipers there. I meant throwing it to one level below the roof - from my experience, that is usually where aliens hide. If you blow up the roof, you risk floaters coming from the floor beneath it the on their turn - this is what I was referring to.

When I throw explosives through the window of the top floor, I try doing so when there are other soldiers around with TUs at maximum. The reason is that sometimes the soldier is not accurate in throwing the explosive and instead of going through the window it hits the wall and falls on the ground. That means that unless there is somebody else to pick it up, it is likely that the soldier will be in the blast zone.

If you step back and think about it, it doesn't really matter whether you like Sectoids, Floaters or Snakemen. They're all "fodder" races compared to Mutons and Ethereals and can be shot down easily with the basic pistol.

It's quite possible to beat the game with starting level heavies like the High Explosive, Heavy and Auto cannon and Rocket Launcher. They make it possible to beat the terror units. The stun rod will let you capture you the big-three aliens needed to go to the last mission.

Superhuman sectopods however take quite a beating.

If it's possible to destroy an alien base with any given weapon setup, then theoretically Cydonia's possible to defeat as well.

If you meant just the pistols and rifles - you might have to abandon a few missions due to running out of ammo against some terror unit. It takes nearly a full rifle clip for a superhuman reaper for example. Missions vs. Sectopods are completely out of the question.

It's quite possible to beat the game with starting level heavies like the High Explosive, Heavy and Auto cannon and Rocket Launcher. They make it possible to beat the terror units. The stun rod will let you capture you the big-three aliens needed to go to the last mission.

Superhuman sectopods however take quite a beating.

If it's possible to destroy an alien base with any given weapon setup, then theoretically Cydonia's possible to defeat as well.

If you meant just the pistols and rifles - you might have to abandon a few missions due to running out of ammo against some terror unit. It takes nearly a full rifle clip for a superhuman reaper for example. Missions vs. Sectopods are completely out of the question.

Mods not accounted for.

- NKF

I actually did some experimentation with a Cyberdisc in superhuman using high explosives and large missile. On most accounts, it can survived the first hit. I think I tried around 20-30 times and from what I remember, I killed it on first strike 5-6 times or so.

As for reapers, I love them if I manage to down the terror ship. If I have 3-4 of them, it is easy to have all your squad score 11 hits per that mission if using pistols or sniper rifles. Reaper are almost completely helpless in jungle terrain, as their movement is highly impaired.

perhaps harkonnen mentor ( actually, I forgot his name )
is using some mods again

in my experience ( no mods, just pure Collectors edition )
High Explosive is third 'on the shelf' ( one grenade under Cyberdisc and disc is gone, ~80% of the time )
large rockets are only slightly less efficient, ~70% of the time

perhaps harkonnen mentor ( actually, I forgot his name )is using some mods again

in my experience ( no mods, just pure Collectors edition )High Explosive is third 'on the shelf' ( one grenade under Cyberdisc and disc is gone, ~80% of the time )large rockets are only slightly less efficient, ~70% of the time

yarrow

No mods that affect that. I play the collector's edition and I was quite surprised that high explosives and large missile failed to take out a Cyberdisc most of the times on the first hit. Even laser rifles usually take 3-6 hits to take it down.

Yes it was quite a shock when I first started playing true superhuman missions to find that the Cyberdiscs sometimes survived a rocket.

But then there's a good reason for this. Cyberdiscs are the most resistant enemies in the game to high explosive damage, taking only 60% of the damage, and with the increased superhuman level health it's not surprising they can survive the attack. Of course they are still very badly crippled in the process.

On a related note: Laser, Plasma and Stun do normal damage to Cyberidscs, which is why they're very good at damaging them in general.

Yes it was quite a shock when I first started playing true superhuman missions to find that the Cyberdiscs sometimes survived a rocket.

But then there's a good reason for this. Cyberdiscs are the most resistant enemies in the game to high explosive damage, taking only 60% of the damage, and with the increased superhuman level health it's not surprising they can survive the attack. Of course they are still very badly crippled in the process.

On a related note: Laser, Plasma and Stun do normal damage to Cyberidscs, which is why they're very good at damaging them in general.

- NKF

Forget about rockets, this is also the case with high explosives which are more powerful. But yes, I agree, it does cripple their aiming accuracy significantly. My favorite thing is to find a bunch of Cyberdiscs clustered together. I actually hope that the first explosive/rocket won't kill any of them. Then, the second explosion may cause wonders and lots of secondary/thirdly/forthly/etc explosions by having them die and explode.